When It Rains
by Shade the Raven
Summary: Oneshot, KnuxAmy. On a dark and stormy night, a certain echidna get alot more than he bargained for! Rated T for mild swearing.


_**When it rains…**_

_By Shade the Raven_

_(all characters properties of their respective owners)_

It was a dark and stormy night on Angel Island, which was already unusual. The fact the raindrops felt like oil as they fell on him was just unsettling. Still, the guardian of the Master Emerald stood vigilant at his post. Normally, Knuckles the Echidna took the nights to meditate or broaden his knowledge horizons with a good book, even breaking out his ipod on rare occasion. Only because usually no one was around to bother him did he indulge in such pleasures. _Looks like this is going to be a long night_ he thought to himself. So, as befit this a night like this, he reached for his music player. The small black device was normal enough except for the pink heart sticker on its back.

_To: Knuckles_

_From: Amy_

_Somethin to keep you awake at night!_

As much as he hated to admit it, it brought a small grin to his face, just as it did the first time he had read it last Christmas. She had handed him the box with a wink and her ever-infectious smile. That little pink hedgehog was always so damm positive and perky, it could drive anybody crazy. _One would have to be crazy to be so enthralled by that blue blockhead_ he chuckled. It wasn't that Knuckles didn't respect Sonic or anything like that. He was a hero to the masses. It's just that Sonic was so …well cocky, arrogant, self-absorbed,… there were plenty of words the echidna would pick. Besides, unlike the hedgehog, at least Knuckles could be modest. Even if he did have a bit of a temper.

And try as he might, sometimes he found it a challenge to push the thoughts of her out of his mind, particularly on quiet nights where he could lay and gaze at the stars above. It wasn't just the fact that she never lost hope in the darkest of situations, or the fact her eyes were full of soft, glowing energy. A big part of it was the simple fact that, in all seriousness, he didn't get that many visitors. Sonic only came round when he would actually admit he needed the guardian's help. Tails would swing past occasionally wanting to borrow the Master Emerald for one experiment or another. If it was a good week, Rouge would swoop down in between assignments and try to swipe the emerald or some other of his shiny objects. Only Amy Rose would stop in to 'just say hi' or spend an evening learning new constellations that he taught her. Deep down, even Knuckles could acknowledge the fact that guarding a big, shiny rock all day and night had its limitations, so it was nice to have someone that would come to visit and not really desire anything more than companionship.

_Now, if only she would pick something better to obsess over…oh well_ He shrugged to himself and slipped the earpieces in, letting the music flow quicker than the downpour. Even if it sounded like he made a mistake by leaving it on 'shuffle' as the song that started going could only be described as ironic _Mental note: next time I see Amy, ask her where she finds these songs!_

_Life is a struggle_

_When it rains, it pours_

_When it rains, it pours_

_Sometimes_

_Life is a struggle_

_When it rains, it pours_

_When it rains, it pours_

_So, here I am_

_It didn't happen overnight_

_I had to pay my dues like_

_Everyone else in this life_

_So get a life_

_That's what the tell you all first_

_You've gotta make your own decisions_

_With the music in this verse_

Suddenly, a spark rang out in his mind. Just like the lightning strikes arcing about the stormy sky or the odd harmonics of the tune in his ears, so did this new, single thought _If I'm the last of my kind, who's going to carry out my duty? Wait… why am I even wondering about this?! Stupid storm…_

_Hip-hop!_

_Became a part of my life_

_I wasn't a break-in star_

_Doin everything right_

First thing was first. After sending a text message to Vector and the Chaotix to watch the shrine for a bit, coupled with their reluctant agreement to do so, Knuckles made his way to the nearby set of ruins where he liked to spar with the stone pillars and metallic walls.

_And everyday_

_I practice so damm hard_

_I make the moves with precision_

_On the point, just like they're nothin_

_Pick up the mic_

_It seems I've gotten all the talent_

_I seem to be expressin myself_

_With every ballad and  
_

Punching solid chunks off a by standing pile of rubble, the echidna took to one of his highest, self-taught morals _If something stands in your way, move it. If it doesn't move, break it._ And indeed something was interfering with his thoughts this torrentially soaking night. No matter how many towers he smashed or barriers he punctured, the sounds, sights, and smells of that pink hedgehog bounced around his synapses.

_All kinds of people told me to stop_

_But in the end_

_People stab me in the back_

_Even those who were friends_

_And even at the studio_

_Producers started trippin_

_Tryin to make a dollar with us_

_Tryin to change my image_

_How's that?_

_They picked the wrong M.C._

_That's how I made it on my own_

_That's how I made it on my own_

And it was true. There really was no one who had helped him become the vigilant guard he'd become. So naturally, he had no shortage of questions. _Is there someone out there who can live with me? With the duty I've been charged with? And how will I know if I'm stuck here? _Little did the echidna know, he was about to get a very rude interruption. And, perhaps, his answer.

_Life is a struggle_

_When it rains, it pours_

_When it rains, it pours_

_Sometimes_

_Life is a struggle_

_When it rains, it pours_

_When it rains, it pours_

_Life is a struggle_

_When it rains, it pours_

_When it rains, it pours_

_Sometimes_

_Life is a struggle_

_When it rains, it pours_

_When it rains, it pours_

For high in the skies above him, those same lightning bolts were coming dangerously close to striking the X-Tornado, causing a fair amount of panic to the two occupants inside. In the pilot's seat, Miles 'Tails' Prower was pulling every trick his expansive fox mind could think of to get out of this storm. Yet everything he'd tried was failing.

"Tails, we need to get out of here fast!" Amy Rose called out from behind him, her skinny pink arms clutching her seatbelt .

"Hang on Amy, I'm gonna try and set us down and ride out this" his sentence was ended by the sickening sound of a lightning bolt scoring home on one of the Tornado's engines. The explosion sent the plane into a wild spin, causing both occupants to lose consciousness quickly as the plane hurtled itself down towards the island.

The flash of the explosion caught the guardian's attention. And just as the looked up, the familiar shape of the Tornado filled his view, but the flames trailing from the engine and its odd spin told Knuckles it was out of control.

"Oh shit! It's gonna crash!" Leaping into the air, the echidna buried his spikes into a neighboring column and threw his mass into the storm. Knuckles spread his form into a glide, just in time to see Tails' pride and joy bounce repeatedly off the ground, before rolling over and coming to rest on its side at the base of a mountain. The cockpit portion had been sheared away from the rest, and was closer to Knuckles when he landed. Luckily for the passengers inside, it was right-side up. The echidna smashed through the canopy with one swing of his fist, and managed to pull both Tails and Amy out before the other engine detonated and rained debris everywhere.

* * *

When she awoke, Amy's head was still ringing with the sounds of metal against dirt, so she stirred only with a groan. There wasn't much she could see either, though the flicker of a nearby fire was enough to illuminate the cavern wall. The young pink hedgehog was wrapped in a blanket and her head was well tended in bandages. Once she made sure everything was where it was supposed to be Amy slowly sat up, and was greeted by a familiar voice "Feeling better, Amy?"

She turned to see her savior tending to the fire, a small grin on his face. "I guess so" she said "sorry we dropped in unannounced. How's Tails doing?"

Knuckles gestured to another slumbering form across the fire "He hit his head on the instrument panel pretty hard. Dunno how long he will be out." Once the fire was burning nicely, Knuckles to a seat next to Amy, but didn't expect the girl to envelop him in a bone-crushing hug "OH, thank you Knuckles! You saved our lives. Thank you so much!"

"Gaaah! Holy crap Ames! It was nothin, really!" He loosened her grip a bit, but did not release his lock on her hands "Besides, it was a boring night anyway with this storm and all. I figured you guys needed a bit of help once I saw that crazy little trick foxy over there was trying to pull. Speaking of which, what are you guys doing out in nasty stuff like this? Did the blue wonder send you on a chili dog run?"

She gave him a slight shove "It's not like that. Tails was searching for another Chaos Emerald, and he offered to take me home after I was done shopping in the Winery District," suddenly she stiffened and straightened "Oh no! The Chaos Emerald!"

"Don't worry" he said, and pulled the shining green gem from his pack "While you were sleeping soundly, I went out again and grabbed it. Kinda figured Tails would need it for his next plane or whatever. And, I managed to save these…" And the echidna pulled out two bottles of well-aged wine.

Her emerald eyes lit up "YAY! Thank you! Now Sonic and I can have a complete candlelight dinner!"

_Not quite what I had in mind_ he thought. "Good luck getting him to slow down long enough for one of those."

_That_ got her attention. This time she pushed the echidna away "Don't start with me, Knuckles! He'll be there!" She began to blush at there mere thought of it "I'll be wearing the brand new dress and earrings I bought, the food will be cooked just the way Sonic likes it, nice, soft music playing in the background, with the candles flickering and the …"

At that point, Knuckles zoned out completely. He didn't know whether to be disgusted by her overbearing cuteness or annoyed by her blind ignorance. The echidna knew she meant well and really did have _that_ much love to offer. But Sonic is simply Sonic. Free-roaming, free-loving, just _free_. The hedgehog wouldn't be settling down anywhere anytime soon. Sooner or later, he would end up breaking sweet Amy's heart. And Knuckles was not about to stand for that.

The crashing sounds of his fists destroying a nearby rock formation put an end to her daydream "DAMMIT ROSE! WHEN WILL YOU SEE THE TRUTH?!! SONIC DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU LIKE THAT!"

Amy was taken back a bit the guardians' sudden outburst. "But…how can you say that? Sonic…,he,… he loves…"she stammered

"Sonic loves being free" Knuckles continued "Think about it Amy! When was the last time he said he loved you?! When was the last time he told you that you were beautiful?! When was the last time he even slowed down long enough to hold your damm hand?! Tell me that one, Amy! WHEN?!"

The crackling fire was the only sound to be heard in the cave after that outburst. By the end, Knuckles had both hands on her shoulders and his eyes were locked dead center with hers, waiting for some kind of reply. And her answer came one teardrop at a time. Then they were flooding out of her as his words finally hit home inside her mind.

He dropped his hands down and turned away from her pained expression "I'm really not trying to be a prick, Amy. It's just that I don't want to see you get hurt by someone who won't appreciate you for who you can be."

Suddenly, Amy screamed out "THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Knuckles turned back around quite quickly with a slight twitch of confusion "Amy…"

"You don't care about me" she started "No one cares about me. You're just jealous of Sonic and the fact you could never-"

The rest of her words were lost as his mouth collided with hers. It wasn't just a method to silence her doubts, it was something the echidna had been meaning to do for a while now. After a few seconds, he released her and dropped his voice to a near whisper "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am jealous of that blue bastard. I'm jealous of the fact he holds your heart captive a way I never could."

Amy's face grew even more shocked at that admission. "You mean you…"

"I love you Amy. All those days and nights we spent together here on this island, the way you're eyes shine in the moonlight, even the way you always keep that damm bounce in your step. Who else can be that amazing?"

She laughed at that, taking a second to wipe the tears away "The same kind of person who's strong enough to say what he feels in his heart. Even if he has to smash something in the process."

Both chuckled, then were lost in another embrace. The heat between them skyrocketed and soon they found themselves thrashing about beneath her blanket in a passion unmatched by any emerald's power.

Finally, when both were exhausted and covered in each other's sweat, one last thought crossed the echidna's mind "Hey Amy, where _did_ you find those songs you put on my ipod anyway?"

No answer. His rose was already sound asleep again, wrapped tightly next to him. _Oh well, I'll ask tomorrow_ he thought as he ran his hand through her hair and gave his love one last kiss goodnight before succumbing to blissful slumber.


End file.
